The last three months of Cohorted boxes were a bit of a shambles. They had an attempted break in, in March, which meant that they didn’t include one of the items in that box. They said they would include it in April which not only they didn’t but they also left out one of the April items out too. And now, the May box, arrived with one of the items being severely damaged.

Cohorted has gone from the box I look forward to the most, to the one I’m now dreading to open. It’s a real shame as Cohorted used to be great. I really hope they pick up the quality again, although I am aware that I’ve said that the last few months and it’s only gone downhill so, I won’t hold my breath. What a disappointment!

Let’s just get straight into the box. This month’s products were meant to “rejuvenate any dull, tired or dehydrated skin” and most of them actually fit the theme. The Cohorted box was as always the standard black, square box that closes magnetically and ties with a ribbon. The box also came with it’s monthly, small beauty magazine (about 30 pages) that tells you a little bit more about each product and some featured products or artists.

Cohorted May contained 5 unique products of which 4 were full size and one was travel size, from left to right: an eye shadow palette, a face mask, a hand and nail cream, a cuticle oil and a tonique.

Let’s dive in a little more deeply into how each product performed after a week’s use. Bear in mind that these are my personal opinions and as beauty is a very personal thing, we all have different skin, beauty requirements and biological build which can influence things. What worked for me might not work for you and vice versa. If you tried any of these please leave your comments below!

Cargo Cosmetics Wanderlust Eye Shadow Palette

Who doesn’t love an eye shadow palette. This palette definitely made this box a lot more interesting but it seems that Cohorted is cycling through the Cargo palettes as this is the third one in one year. That’s not necessarily bad but it would be nice to get full size palettes from other brands too!

Nevertheless, I’m still happy to have received this palette, even though I read some negative reviews about it. A lot mention that the palette doesn’t work as nicely on the eyes as it swatches and that is definitely true. But that is true for all Cargo palettes I’ve tried so far. They swatch more intensely than they are when on the eyes.

However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Cargo palettes, including this one, tend to be on the more soft, natural side and that’s ok. You don’t always need super pigmentation.

This palette contains 12 colours of which 6 are shimmers and the rest 6 are matte. The colours are mostly whites, peaches and shades of brown with two greens and one purple. Even though, I often prefer palettes with cohesive colours and not the typical random green or purple, I actually liked this one. You can create a natural brown look and then pop some green or purple colour accent under the waterline!

Sadly though, the nice looking purple colour called “dream” comes out more like a black, when swatched or on the eyes. See swatches below.

In terms of texture, the shadows are somewhere between buttery and powdery with more emphasis on the powder side. They last for hours but do fade slightly in intensity and do not crease if you use an eye shadow primer. They blend easily.

The actual palette is made of cardboard and it contains a mirror inside. The palette also comes with a brush which has two flat sides, so you will need another brush for blending. Nevertheless, the brush looks nice, feels soft and washes well. It’s not the best quality but it’s not bad either.

I love the Wanderlust name and even the light inspired design. Even the eye shadow colours are names that can be associated with travelling and so it suits the Cargo brand nicely.

It’s a good palette overall but not top notch quality. It retails for £35 and lasts 12M. SCORE = 7/10

ARK Skincare Hydration Injection Masque

This is meant to be an intensive, multivitamin hydration mask to quench and sooth skin while restoring vibrancy.

The brand says that this contains vitamins A, B5,C ,E and hyaluronic acid and is free from parabens, lanolin, mineral oil, S. D. alcohol, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl, esther sulphate, artificial fragrance and artificial colours. It is also not tested on animals.

However, if you look at the ingredient list, printed on the outer packaging, there is no hyaluronic acid, or a derivative of it, listed (see picture below, left item)! The ingredient list is either not correct, which is really bad and illegal in some countries, or they are selling this product with false advertising. I hope this is just an accidental mistake on their side.

You can use this once or twice a week on clean, dry skin and remove it with a cloth soaked in hand-hot water. The brand recommends that you leave it on for different times, depending on your age, which is likely just a marketing gimmick. Older skin is not always dry and does not always need more moisturisation, it depends from person to person and there are old people with oily skin! Just leave it on somewhere between 5-20 minutes or even overnight, depending on how your skin feels and what type it is. Don’t forget to use a moisturiser after you wipe it off.

The product is an off-white gel which spreads really easily on the skin and feels very, very hydrating indeed. It has a flower scent which is pleasant and it slowly get’s absorbed into the skin.

My skin felt deeply moisturised and the entire experience was very pleasant. The ingredients are ok, there are some good ones like the vitamins listed and some good moisturisers but it is not the most “nourishing” rich mask or moisturiser out there. It definitely works though and makes the skin feel very soft and moisturised.

I really liked the feeling and results of this product, I even like the simple but elegant and expensive looking tube design, but it the hyaluronic acid/ingredient list situation really puts me off.

This full size, 75mL tube retails for £35 and lasts 12M. If it wasn’t for the ingredient situation I would have given it a 7-8. SCORE = 6/10

ARK Skincare Intensive Hand & Nail Cream

This hand cream comes in a similar and also elegant and nice looking packaging. It’s a white cream with a floral meets lemon type of scent which spreads easily on the skin.

It gets absorbed quickly and doesn’t leave any residues behind. It feels moisturising but like with most hand creams, only for a while. It’s not what I would call deeply moisturising but nevertheless, it does the job at the time.

This 75mL tube retails for £20 which might sound like a steep price for a hand cream, however, the ingredients of this hand cream make the price tag worth it. This hand cream lasts for 12M. SCORE = 9/10

This cuticle oil is very cute. The glass bottle comes with a tiny dropper which somehow makes this product more exciting but also more practical to use.

It looks nice and feels nice. It also smells very nice. It has a sweet smell that is very pleasant.

It contains vitamin E to promote strong and healthy nails and a peach vanilla scent. It is free from DBP, toluene, TPHP, formaldehyde and camphor. It is not tested on animals and is vegan.

All you need to do is apply this on and around your nails, 2 times a day or when needed to nourish and soften the cuticles.

This little bottle retails for £10 which is not a bad price considering the overall cuticle oil price market. SCORE = 8/10

Lancome Tonique Douceur

This tonique is meant to be used after you clean your face to gently remove any left over makeup or dirt, gently exfoliate and refine the skin.

It feels nice on the skin and is definitely gentle. It picks up some makeup traces which is great, but of course it is not meant to be a full on cleanser.

The bottle looks nice, but is plastic, and I love the blue colour. Unfortunately, this specific bottle was damaged. It has thick scratches all over it, as if it was stuck under furniture and then dragged across the floor. It’s not great! It really makes you feel that you are not getting proper products in this box but rather free samples that are left over in warehouses or something. Nevertheless, this is the first time that I receive a damaged item from Cohorted so let’s hope it’s also the last.

This toner can also hydrate and contains rose water. It smells really fresh and soft like rose water. It is not a full size bottle but rather a travel size that retails round £6-10. SCORE = 9/10

Overall, I was dissapointed with this month’s Cohorted box, not due to the items, but because one of the items was heavily damaged. This comes after two months of messed up Cohorted boxes and it was almost like the cherry on the cake. Ignoring that though, this month’s Cohorted contained some really nice products and was very good otherwise.